STRONG winds and rain have battered the Wimmera for the past four days – but the wild weather will ease next week. Bureau of Meteorology statistics show Saturday was the windiest day of winter so far, with maximum gusts up to about 80km/h in some towns. Wind speeds reached at least 40km/h in towns across the region between Thursday and Sunday. At Mt William in the Grampians, gusts reached 113km/h on Friday. Edenhope recorded the most rain of any Wimmera town in the past four days – about 28mm – while other towns had between 3mm and 9mm in the same period. Bureau duty forecaster Richard Carlyon said a series of cold fronts generated the strong westerly winds in the Wimmera, but these fronts had now passed. “The last of those moved through to the east on Sunday, so the windy period is over,” he said. “A high-pressure system is on the way from the west. It will move over the area on Tuesday and stay around for most of the week, so conditions will ease.” The first week of July has brought a mixed bag temperature-wise, with some places recording both their highest and lowest temperatures of winter so far. Warracknabeal recorded its lowest daily minimum of minus 1 this week, before its highest daily maximum of 20 degrees on Friday. In the space of two days this week, Horsham went from a 2018 winter low of minus 3 degrees, to its highest daily temperature of the season so far – 18 degrees. The bureau has predicted temperatures in the low teens across the region next week.

Wimmera wild weather: winds, rain lash region

Horsham's Ruby Hill and Charlotte Kelly try to keep hold of their umbrella in windy conditions at Harrow on Saturday. Picture: SAMANTHA CAMARRI

STRONG winds and rain have battered the Wimmera for the past four days – but the wild weather will ease next week.

Bureau of Meteorology statistics show Saturday was the windiest day of winter so far, with maximum gusts up to about 80km/h in some towns. Wind speeds reached at least 40km/h in towns across the region between Thursday and Sunday.

At Mt William in the Grampians, gusts reached 113km/h on Friday.

Edenhope recorded the most rain of any Wimmera town in the past four days – about 28mm – while other towns had between 3mm and 9mm in the same period.

Bureau duty forecaster Richard Carlyon said a series of cold fronts generated the strong westerly winds in the Wimmera, but these fronts had now passed.

“The last of those moved through to the east on Sunday, so the windy period is over,” he said.

“A high-pressure system is on the way from the west. It will move over the area on Tuesday and stay around for most of the week, so conditions will ease.”

The first week of July has brought a mixed bag temperature-wise, with some places recording both their highest and lowest temperatures of winter so far.

Warracknabeal recorded its lowest daily minimum of minus 1 this week, before its highest daily maximum of 20 degrees on Friday.

In the space of two days this week, Horsham went from a 2018 winter low of minus 3 degrees, to its highest daily temperature of the season so far – 18 degrees.

The bureau has predicted temperatures in the low teens across the region next week.